Supply Preaching & Presiding

In times of pastoral vacancy or whenever regular ordained
leadership is not available, the WV-WMD Synod attempts to ensure
that congregations of the synod are provided with capable and
authorized worship leadership. To this end, the synod maintains a
lists (scroll down) of ordained clergy and lay worship leaders who
may be available to "supply." Additional sources for "supply"
worship leadership is found after the mentioned lists.

Supply Compensation Guidelines

The WV-WMD Synod set a revised compensation schedule for pulpit
supply at its 24 January 2015 Synod Council meeting. Since 1 March
2015, pulpit supply is to be compensated as follows.

1 service -- $125.00

2 services on the same day -- $160.00

3 services on the same day -- $195.00

Mileage is reimbursed at the 2018 IRS rate of 54½¢
cents per mile.

If you engage a supply preacher from a significant distance,
it is appropriate to provide overnight lodging.

Special Cases Affecting Compensation

When the Bishop of this Synod or
the Director of Evangelical Mission is the worship
leader/preacher, whether the person is to be compensated depends
upon the circumstances. If the pastor of the congregation is
present for worship, your gifts to mission support cover all of
the costs associated with this visit---though a congregation may,
at its option, remit a gift to the synod. When the pastor is not present,
the supply preacher is to be compensated at the normal supply
rate. Both the
Bishop and the D.E.M. have the right to wave some or all the
compensation associated with supply preaching costs.

Many church agencies and church related agencies have similar
policies. Please be sure to inquire what the policy is with
respect to the person being engaged.

Sacraments & Pastoral Acts

Holy Communion may only be celebrated by an ordained person on
the roster of the ELCA or a clergyperson ordained and on the on
the roster of a full-communion partner and in good standing.
Special dispensation for lay Eucharistic presidency, under the
policies of the ELCA, can only be granted under unusual
circumstances and then for only six months at a time. At this
time, there are no active dispensations for lay Eucharistic
presidency. If your congregation has received a dispensation in
the past, please contact Bishop Riegel to discuss your situation.

Holy Baptism, when administered in an emergency, may be performed
by anyone. Prompt reporting to the local pastor is required. When
administered during the worship of the
congregation---administration at other times is at the discretion
of the pastor and should be rare---the regular presider is the
pastor of the congregation. The same rubric for Holy Communion
applies here.

A funeral is neither a sacrament nor a rite reserved to the
clergy by either civil or ecclesiastical law. A Bishop's Lay
Worship Leader may be engaged for a funeral when authorized by the
pastor loci or the interim pastor loci.

A wedding is not a sacrament. Civil law, however, in both
Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia limits who may legally
conduct a wedding. Consult with your local county clerk or the
synod office before engaging a Bishop's Law Worship Leader.
Additionally, out-of-state clergy should ascertain whether bonding
or some other requirement exists (as in the case of West
Virginia).

If you notice an error or omission on the
rolls below, please contact the Bishop at
Bishop@WV-WMD.org or 304-680-5388.

Bishop's Lay Worship Leaders

Bishop's Lay Worship Leaders are equipped through the synod's
training program and authorized by the Bishop for service in the
territory of synod at the invitation of the congregation's pastor
or congregational leader appointed for the task of coordinating
supply preachers.

The WV-WMD Synod is currently revising its standards for the
Bishop's Lay Worship Leaders. Until the revision is adopted,
applications to enter the roll of Bishop's Lay Worship Leaders are
not being accepted.

An asterisk ("*") next to the name means that the contact
information has not yet be confirmed. "Base of Operations" indicates
where the BLWL lives. Range of travel varies from BLWL to BLWL. Some
have rather limited ranges. Others are willing to travel a couple of
hours.

Bishop's Lay Worship Leader

Base of Operations

Phone

E-mail

Melissa Bannister

Parkersburg, WV

304-428-8865

bannister_m@yahoo.com

Lois Broyles

Barboursville, WV

304-962-2541

loisinwv@hotmail.com

George Friedline

New Martinsville, WV

304-455-2798

gfried@suddenlink.net

Lola Graham (temporarily unavailable)

Upper Tract, WV

304-358-7733

Jerry Harman (temporarily unavailable)

Parkersburg, WV

304-481-1160

jerryharman@yahoo.com

William Hawk

Wheeling, WV

304-232-7260

bk-hawk@comcast.net

Henry Hodges

Wardensville, WV

304-874-4491

hhodges@k.12.wv.us

Sylvia Sue Hoffman

Benwood, WV

304-232-7012

densuoff@comcast.net

Leroy Humberston

Fairmont, WV

304-366-3434

Patricia Keller

Keyser, WV

304-788-2535

bpkeller@frontiernet.net

Barbara McDowell*

OKVC

George McKinney

Hurricane, WV

304-760-2357

gmckinney@ensiteusa.com

Jodi Sandvik*

UOVC

304-843-1721

jodirodie@comcast.net

Patricia Schrader*

UOVC

304-233-8040

James Sheatsley

Beckley, WV

304-252-5321 (O)
304-252-7363 (H)
304-575-9827 (C)

jsheatsley@suddenlink.net

Vicki Tomich*

Moundsville, WV

304-845-4248

vltomich@verizon.net

Richard Wolford

Charlestown, WV

800-444-1118 (o)
304-389-2938 (c)

rwolford@hilliard.com

Carl Yost*

PC

304-897-5041

Ordained Clergy Available for Supply

In addition to the names listed below, you may consider the
ordained professors and staff at the Lutheran Theological
Seminary, Gettysburg, or any ordained clergy on the roster of one
of our neighboring synods of the ELCA and in good standing. Please
contact our synod office or the synod office of the neighboring
synod to verify that the ordained clergy in question is available.
Contact our synod office prior to engaging ordained clergy
rostered with a full-communion partner.

Neighboring Synods

Full-Communion Partners

The provisions of the ELCA's full-communion agreements provide
for pulpit & altar fellowship as well as the
interchangeability of clergy. The differences, however, between
our respective rosters complicate this interchangeability. Prior
to engaging a ordained or layperson for supply, contact the synod
office to verify appropriateness.

When All Else Fails

When it is impossible to secure a supply preacher from any of the
approved/recommended sources, two options remain open for
non-sacramental services:

The pastor or interim pastor may, with the concurrence of the
congregational council appoint a member of the congregation to
lead service and preach.

Preferred, however, would be the a member of the congregation
lead the service and, rather than preach, read a sermon from a
source recommended by either the pastor, interim-pastor, or
bishop.